Srila Prabhupada Analogies


On a morning walk on Venice Beach in May 1973, Srila
Prabhupada presented a number of analogies exposing
false logic.

Prabhupada had been explaining to Svarupa Damodara,
Brahmananda Swami, and others that each living
creature lives in a certain environment suited for it.
Therefore, we never find a frog in the ocean. This
living habit of the frog is the basis of the example
known as "the frog in the well."

"This example is available in the Bhagavata,
Prabhupada?" asked Svarupa Damodara.

"Yes," said Srila Prabhupada. "In nyaya-sastra it is
said, kupa-manduka-nyaya. Kupa means 'well' and
manduka means 'frog.' The frog in the well. Dr. Frog
is never visible in the ocean. He has never seen what
is the ocean; therefore all these scientists are
compared to frogs. They have never seen what is the
kingdom of God."

Srila Prabhupada then explained another logic, known
as bakanda-nyaya. "Baka means 'duck,' and anda means
'testicles of the bull.' The bull is going, and his
testicle is hanging, and the duck is following after
that. He is thinking, 'Here is a fish.' You will find
the ducks always going and wondering when the 'fish'
will drop. It will never drop, but he is going after
it. And neither is it a fish. The bakanda is
comparable to any materialist in illusion, who chases
after maya."

Then Prabhupada explained aja-gala-stana. "You have
seen in the goats, in the necks -- it is just like
nipples," said Prabhupada. "So if one is expecting
milk from that nipple, he is also a fool. It is not a
nipple, but it looks like one. These are illusions.
Aja-gala-stana applies to those rascals who think that
from matter, life is coming. Exactly the same, they
are thinking that here is a nipple and some milk will
come. 'Let us milk here. Maybe in the future.'

"Another is nagna-matrka. This means someone says,
'Mother, when you were a child you were naked; why do
you put on clothes now?' The mother was naked when she
was a child. Therefore the logic is that she should
remain naked still. If someone was not very important,
and now he has become important, the logic is, 'How
has this man become important?' Because the mother was
naked in childhood, therefore she should not put on
any garments? We change according to the
circumstances. You cannot say that this must remain
like this. So when one comes to Krsna consciousness,
that is perfect." (And one cannot say that he is
disqualified by a lower birth or bad behavior in a
previous life.)

"In Sanskrit logic," said Srila Prabhupada, "all these
examples are there from nature's study."

Morning walk, May 5, 1973, Los Angeles.

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa
Goswami Maharaj




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